Chapter 52. Same Bed, Different Dreams

With that, Alyssa walked past Isabelle. She turned back at the door and said,

“Oh, and about Camilla, she seems quite clever. I heard Blanche and Francis are quite at odds?”

“……”

“Wouldn’t it be interesting if I gave Francis some information instead of the Duke? …Hahaha! Take care, Sis!”

Alyssa waved her hand as she opened the door. As she headed to the lobby, Camilla, who had been watching from outside, approached.

“Are you leaving already?”

“We’ve finished talking. Let’s meet again formally soon.”

“Take care.”

Camilla exchanged a knowing look with Alyssa, smiling. Judging by her expression, it seemed Alyssa had properly threatened Isabelle.

Now it was Camilla’s turn to step in.

When she entered the terrace, Isabelle was holding her head, frowning. It seemed Alyssa had really gotten under her skin.

“Mother?”

When Camilla approached, pretending to know nothing, Isabelle sighed deeply and composed herself.

“Has Alyssa left?”

“Yes. She said she enjoyed it and hopes to see you again soon.”

“Ha…”

Isabelle let out a low curse. Seeing this, Camilla asked,

“Did you have a fight? You don’t look well.”

“It’s just that meeting after such a long time stirred up emotions.”

“Well, it has been over twenty years. It must have been hard to even recognize her. You parted ways when she was almost the same age as my younger sibling.”

When Camilla spoke sympathetically, Isabelle, having finished her thoughts, held her hand and said,

“Camilla.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Can I ask you for a favor?”

“Go ahead.”

When Camilla readily took her hand and responded kindly, Isabelle began to speak. As expected, it was about Alyssa.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like you to move Alyssa to your family’s hotel.”

It seemed she judged that leaving her at Letia Castle or taking action herself would both be risky. She was concerned that the Duke might follow them. Camilla feigned surprise and asked,

“Lady Brilly?”

“No matter how close she is to the Letia family, it’s impolite to impose on them for too long.”

“That’s true. But she seems quite close to the Letia family, so I don’t think you need to worry.”

“Well, Alyssa is quite naive and ignorant of the world, so I’m worried she might cause trouble for them.”

“Alright, I’ll look into it. Don’t worry, Mother.”

“Thank you.”

Isabelle gave a very kind smile. It was the first time Camilla had seen such a gentle smile on her face since entering Blanche Castle.

* * *

A while later, an emergency meeting was held at Letia Castle. It was because Isabelle had finally sent a formal dinner invitation to Alyssa. Camilla spoke.

“I think it would be good to move her to our hotel around this time. If we push too hard, the Duchess might act impulsively.”

“I agree. We’ve already shown Alyssa’s strong relationship with Letia, so moving her won’t easily threaten her.”

“Yes. Besides, the hotel operated by Francis has strict security. I’ll keep a guard with her just in case, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

“My sister must be quite desperate, seeing as she’s reached out to you, Miss Camilla.”

Alyssa chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand as if she found it amusing. She handed over the invitation that had just arrived.

“I’m surprised it came so quickly. It seems my threat worked quite well, don’t you think?”

“When you meet the Duke, emphasize your relationship with Letia as much as possible. The Duke is a cunning man and will surely try to use it.”

“The more he does, the more miserable my sister will be.”

Camilla winked in agreement. With Alyssa Brilly and Joseph pressing from the front, and Camilla and Aster from behind, it was inevitable that Isabelle would be cornered.

At that moment, Alyssa spoke.

“I was thinking of bringing Joseph with me to the dinner. Is that okay?”

“Hmm. Is it necessary for Mr. Joseph to attend the dinner? It might be a bit awkward to bring a bard to a family gathering when he can’t even be introduced as family.”

Camilla was right. Until Joseph’s identity as Isabelle’s ex-husband was revealed, he was just a bard. It seemed unwise to reveal our joker so easily.

“Or how about pretending to be married to Alyssa? That might raise fewer suspicions.”

“Not sure about that.”

When Alyssa looked troubled, Aster, who had been quietly listening, spoke.

“How about this? I have an idea for such situations.”

At his words, Camilla and Alyssa’s gazes focused on Aster.

* * *

On the day of the formal dinner, the Blanche Castle was bustling. It was the first time that the Duchess’s family had been invited.

The servants couldn’t help but be surprised when the madam, who had not interacted with her family for so long, suddenly invited them.

They had all assumed she had severed ties with her family, especially since it had been over twenty years since they last saw each other.

“The lady who came last time must have been family. She seemed quite decent, didn’t she?”

“Right. She looked well-off.”

“I heard she’s quite close with the Letia family.”

“Then why haven’t they met all this time?”

“Who knows. Rumor has it they had a family feud, but how can we understand the minds of the nobles?”

Speculations about Alyssa Brilly were rampant. It was the hottest topic in Blanche Castle.

“Instead of gossiping, why don’t you get back to work?”

Helen, who had been eavesdropping, scolded them. Her voice was far from kind, as she had been on edge lately.

“Sorry!”

The servants scattered like the wind, and Helen snorted. She had never heard of having an aunt. Her mother had never mentioned her maternal family.

‘This isn’t the time to worry about an aunt.’

Helen looked down at the communication stone with a frown. As usual, it was noisy, but there was no contact from Sezad.

Since becoming lovers, Sezad had never contacted her first. It was unfamiliar for Helen, who was used to being the one contacted first.

As the waiting grew longer, Helen often found herself filling Sezad’s absence with other men. She was inherently lonely, and such indifference was hard to bear.

But the emptiness was not easily filled. The person she truly wanted affection from was Sezad. Not receiving the affection she desired made Helen anxious.

“No matter how busy he is, this is too much.”

Helen muttered irritably. It was becoming increasingly difficult to see Sezad due to the issue of salvaging that Shepherd’s Horn or whatever.

In reality, he was just using work as an excuse because he found her bothersome, but Helen had no way of knowing that.

She heard that he had even visited the South with Paris. When she found out, she had a big fight with him.

She was very dissatisfied with Sezad, who spent more time with Paris than with her, his lover. But that day’s fight ended in complete defeat for her.

‘If you don’t like it, let’s break up.’

His indifferent tone was still vivid in her memory. She wasn’t the type to cling to men, but she found herself swayed by Sezad.

He was usually cold, but his occasional kindness kept her hooked. It’s often said that someone who tried being a bad woman would find herself powerless when she met an even worse man.

At that moment, Paris came into view. He came home late last night after meeting Sezad, and it irritated her.

“What are you doing here?”

“Why do you care what I do?”

“You’re so prickly. No wonder Sezad finds you annoying. You’re not cute, and all you do is whine.”

Paris yawned and muttered. Helen shouted in anger.

“This is all your fault! You keep calling Sezad away!”

“What are you talking about? Do you think I’m doing this just for myself? If you and Mother don’t want to be overshadowed by Aster, you need to support me. How can you be so short-sighted?”

“That’s why I introduced you to Sezad.”

“Yeah. I’m grateful for that, my dear sister. Just wait a bit. Your brother here will succeed greatly and put Aster in his place.”

Paris’s shoulders were practically soaring these days. His business with Sezad was booming, multiplying the investment their father had given him several times over.

He said with a swagger,

“I’m even thinking of investing the trust fund Mother set up for me. Father said he’d increase the investment too.”

“Isn’t it too hasty to touch the trust fund? That’s meant for us.”

“High risk, high return. The trust fund was made for times like this, wasn’t it?”

“Mother won’t allow it.”

Helen’s face hardened as she spoke, and Paris snorted, then smirked, wondering what the problem was.

“She’s already given her permission, though?”